A progress update from the Contracting Optimisation Project

18 Jun 2026

An update to Schools on the progress of the Contracting Optimisation Project which aims to improve the contracts process, making contract management more effective and transparent.

We know colleagues are experiencing challenges when managing contracts, particularly where delays impact research delivery, partnerships and funding timelines.

We recognise the impact this is having on Schools and Faculties. The Contracting Optimisation Project aims to address these challenges and explore how contract management can be improved across the University.

What we’ve heard

We’ve gathered feedback from colleagues to understand their user journeys, resulting in over 150 business needs identified.

Top three areas to improve:

1. Visibility of contract progress, ownership and next steps.
2. Identifying bottlenecks and proactively manage delays.
3. Freeing up capacity by reducing duplication and inefficiencies.

What we’re doing now

While longer-term solutions are still being developed, our immediate priority is to make practical improvements that can reduce delays:

1. Incremental improvements: Confidentiality and Non-Disclosure Agreements Proof of Concept (small scale testing to see what works well) - A faster, consistent, and streamlined process.
2. Looking at the data: Considering timescales, how workload is distributed, bottlenecks that slow things down and proactively looking at contracts incomplete after 100 days.
3. Streamlined templates with an aim to shorten timescales and reduce friction during the negotiations.
4. Introducing more regular cross-team forums to resolve issues earlier and provide clearer ownership.

Progress so far

Following changes to the contract template, we are beginning to receive positive feedback. One external party shared: “Being honest, it was actually the most clear and well balanced CDA I’ve reviewed in quite some time”.

Developing longer-term solutions

The longer-term solution will look at service redesign to improve processes and a Contract Lifecycle Management (CLM) tool to support the Contracts team, and those who use the service.

Our CLM requirements include:

• Milestones and reporting for improved workflow visibility.
• Clause libraries and playbooks to ensure consistency and improved workload management.

Vendors are currently being reviewed through in-depth demos, with decisions expected in Autumn 2026 for a recommended CLM tool.

Stay connected

Visit our SharePoint site for project updates, and the Contracts pages for details on continuous improvements.

For more information or if you would like to feed into our work, you can contact the project’s Business Change Manager, Traceyanne Sinclair.